The homicide squad is investigating after a 28-year-old man was found dead in his Scarborough garage of a single shot to the head.

Police speak to two women at the scene of a shooting in the Seven Oaks neighbourhood of Scarborough on Sunday afternoon.
Toronto EMS confirmed a man in his early 20s was shot shortly after 1 p.m. in the area of Military Trail and Neilson Rd.

The homicide squad is investigating after the body of Jay Bennie Yabut, 28, was found in his Scarborough garage with a single gunshot to the head.

Yabut’s family was at home when he died but it was someone passing by the townhouse complex at 341 Military Trail who called police about 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

His body remained in the garage while a forensics team went over the scene Sunday night, said Sgt. Robert Duthie. Yabut’s family was at 43 Division providing information to police.

Two people were seen fleeing from the garage in the Seven Oaks neighbourhood at some point in the dreary afternoon. Duthie said police are “looking into that” but otherwise they have no active leads.

Yabut had been living with his mother and brother at the townhouse, he said.

He was not known to police, said Duthie, and he couldn’t confirm whether the death was related to gangs, drugs or a possible domestic issue.

Neighbours were unable to return home for more than two hours as forensic units carried out their work. There was a heavy police presence at the scene into the evening.

Dale Fowler, who lives just down the street, said she was unloading groceries from her car when she saw police officers quickly cordon off the area around unit 7, shortly after 1 p.m. She said she heard no gunshots.

“Everybody was coming out of the garage,” she said. “We have never had something like this happen. It’s sad.”

Judy Antrobus, who lives in another townhouse complex, was shocked to hear of a gunshot death in her neighbourhood.

“Right at our back door, it’s scary,” she said, gazing at the police cruiser parked in the rain.

An ambulance left the scene around 2:30 p.m. About 4 p.m. police could be seen speaking with a visibly distraught woman outside the unit where the body was found. She declined to answer questions when approached by reporters.